Camera Reviews

A year or so ago, live streaming events was more of a fad that only the very tech savvy or very social user would do. As we near the close of 2016, however, we look back at how the Internet has been flooded by this type of “democratized” broadcasting, ranging from sports and music events, to political debates, to witnessing crimes as they happen. But while live streaming has mostly been associated with smartphones, there is always a need for more professional, but still accessible, recording devices. That’s where the Mevo camera from Livestream comes in, developed by the company whose very name is synonymous to its purpose.

Samsung hasn't just made a bet on virtual reality being the future of entertainment, with the Gear 360 camera it wants VR content creation to be accessible to the masses, too. Hot on the heels of the Gear VR headset comes the perfect camera companion to actually shoot your own 360-degree photos and videos, though it finds itself in the early stages of what may well be a significant learning curve for users.

The Olympus PEN-F is retro done right: not just classic looks for the sake of tickling your reminiscence glands, but for delivering the best aspects of old gear. Launched back in January, the micro-four-thirds camera introduces several "firsts" to the PEN line-up, fittingly given it's also styled after Olympus' first PEN rangefinder from eighty years ago. Camera technology may have moved on hugely since the original PEN, but the key lessons are just as relevant today.

This is the Panono, a camera which exists in a spherical configuration, one that you're able to toss into the air to capture unique images. Back in 2011 when we first discovered this piece of technology, it was just a student project. Fast forward to now, the year 2016, and we're getting to experience the magic in final form - ready for consumers - for the first time. Is this the way of the future? Or was this an awesome idea formed before its time, executed too late to make a giant impact in its natural home market - virtual reality?

In a few years from now, cameras like the Ricoh Theta S will be standard. Maybe not even a few years. Maybe this year. Samsung just released their VR camera, the [Gear 360], and LG just released a VR camera called [LG 360 CAM] as well. LG's camera is, shall we say, very INSPIRED by Ricoh's design. But the Ricoh Theta was first. By a mile. By several years and a whole new iteration, in fact.

When I was a teenager, my morning routine consisted of a panicked, headlong rush down the ice-covered dirt roads that separated my rural ancestral home from the gravel parking lot at my high school. My steed of choice in those days was a decade-old Ford pickup, whose four-speed manual gearbox and 70/30 weight distribution ensured that I spent most of my commute completely sideways with the tachometer (aftermarket and strapped to the steering column, of course) pegged in the red.

Capturing memorable moments, from sports action shots to a baby's first steps, has never been as accessible as they are today. But not all situations can be addressed by a camera drone. And definitely not everyone has steady hands. There are, of course, professional rigs available, but those are as likely to break your back as they will your wallet. DJI's new Osmo handheld rig offers a different answer, one that combines the excellent 4K Zenmuse X3 camera from its Inspire 1 drone with a stick that delivers full control, without the shaky movement. And Drone World's extends that promise even more with just the right accessories to supplement the camera where it is weakest.

The Bublcam does one thing very well: describe itself - in its name, in its industrial design, and in its product. While several 360-degree "spherical" cameras are already on the market, Bubl Technology have done the best job in creating a device that's simple to understand and use from start to finish - WITH high-quality results. This device has four cameras, each pointing in a different direction to create videos and photos that are spherical in shape, fully prepared for immersive viewing online and in the new virtual reality ecosystem.

If a smart home is truly smart, it should know who’s inside it. That’s the argument Netatmo makes with its new Welcome camera, promising Dropcam-style streaming video but combined with facial-recognition. At $199 it matches Nest Cam’s sticker, but without the need to cough up for the cloud if you want to look back through captured footage, and Netatmo says its person-spotting skills should cut the number of false-alarms down, too. I put on my most welcoming expression to see if the learning camera would find me memorable.

You’d be forgiven if, after taking a quick glance at Olympus' new Air A01 doohickey, you dismissed it as a lens of some sort. In fact it’s more, much more. Think of the Air A01 as a Micro Four Thirds or Micro 4/3 camera minus the lens and display: ultra portable, allowing you to place or mount it anywhere your creativity takes you, and paired up wirelessly with an iOS or Android device. While add-on cameras are something we’ve already seen from Sony, Kodak, and others, Olympus’ decision to go for interchangeable lenses sets the Air A01 apart; read on for my first impressions.

Is a bigger camera necessarily better? Or, put a different way, does a big sensor need to have a big body wrapped around it? Samsung would argue no, and the NX500 is its evidence. Distilling much of the NX1 into a form-factor only slightly larger than a point-and-shoot, it’s 28.2-megapixels of interchangeable lens camera with a 4K video recording bonus. Samsung can’t work miracles, mind, especially for $799 with a lens thrown in, and so there are some compromises to consider along the way.

The Kodak Pixpro SP360 Action Camera works with the ability to capture photos and video with a spherical lens. The data you capture with this lens can be viewed in a number of ways, the most interesting of these being an immersive virtual reality environment, with half of an orb available to you to capture the world around you. Just like this device's most well-known competitor, the GoPro camera, the Kodak Pixpro SP360 is also prepared to go hardcore with a variety of caps, covers, and cases.